bd’s Mongolian Grill names new pres

Joe Phraner has been named president and chief operating officer of bd’s Mongolian Grill, effective in January, the company said Wednesday.

Phraner succeeds Rodger Head, who served as chief executive and president of the casual-dining chain. The company said Head is exiting day-to-day operations to focus on his family business. He will continue to serve on the board and in a consulting capacity with New York-based private equity firm, Kinderhook Industries, which owns bd’s.

“I have appreciated my time with bd’s Mongolian Grill, and I want to thank all of our operators and franchisees for their support,” Head said in a statement. “I will work with Joe to ensure our transition is seamless.”

Prior to joining bd’s, Phraner held such posts as senior vice President and chief operating officer at Duke and King Acquisition Corp; chief operating officer and vice president of franchising operations and services at Shoney's Restaurants; and division manager at Friendly Ice Cream Corp.

Based in Detroit, bd’s Mongolian Grill now has 34 restaurants in 13 states — 14 company-owned and 19 franchised. The company also has one franchised location in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The company said a new restaurant is slated to open in Pittsburgh in the first quarter of next year. It also signed a multi-unit development agreement earlier this year with the one-unit bd's Mongo KY LLC to open two more units in Louisville, Ky.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story has been updated to include the correct time frame of the opening of the Pittsburgh location.